# I'm lost on this problem in Simplifying Ratical Expressions

#### emmaiskool242

##### Junior Member
The problem is :

3a^3
_________

3a^3 + 6a^2

Can anyone help me figure out how to do this I have no idea and I have been reading my book for the last half an hour trying to figure it out, can anyone help me??

#### steve_b

##### Junior Member
What you typed was:

3a^3
_________

3a^3 + 6a^2

I'm going to assume that what I see is what you wanted to say:

3a^3 is in the numerator, and (3a^3 + 6a^2) is in the denominator.

You have one term in the numerator and two terms in the denoninator. These terms have some factors in common: each of them has at least a 3, and each of them has at least an a^2. So we can divide out ("cancel") these factors from each term, which will leave:

a in the numerator, and (a + 2) in the denominator.

Another way to look at it is to factor the denominator into:

3a^2(a + 2)

Write the numerator as: a*3a^2

Then "cancel" the 3a^2 in the denominator with the 3a^2 in the numerator, which will leave just an "a" in the numerator, and the a+2 in the denominator.

Hope that helps...

Steve

#### emmaiskool242

##### Junior Member
Yes, it helped a ton, thankyou so much